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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2022.53.05.20
How to Cite:
Miliutina, K., Chuiko, O., Legka, V., & Shkuro, V. (2022). Tolerance and social inclusion as a condition for successful
rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. Amazonia Investiga, 11(53), 204-213. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2022.53.05.20
Tolerance and social inclusion as a condition for successful
rehabilitation of persons with disabilities
Толерантність та Соціальна Інклюзія як Умова Успішної Реабілітації Осіб з
Інвалідністю
Received: April 22, 2022 Accepted: May 30, 2022
Written by:
Kateryna Miliutina85
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0013-2989
Olena Chuiko86
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7088-0961
Viktoria Legka87
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4896-4442
Valentyna Shkuro88
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-1260
Abstract
The academic paper is devoted to studying the
features of the attitude of teachers, parents,
employers towards people from different social
groups in need of social inclusion and
rehabilitation. A survey of 120 people (40 primary
school teachers, 40 parents of healthy children,
40 employees of the State Employment Service of
Ukraine) was conducted on their attitude to people
in need of social-psychological and social-labour
rehabilitation. The survey was conducted in
2 stages. At the first stage, it has been found out
whom exactly the respondents consider to be those
who require social and psychological assistance and
rehabilitation. In the second stage, a modification of
the method of E. S. Bogardus has been applied in
order to determine social distance. Teachers and
parents believe that children with disabilities need
rehabilitation, involvement in an inclusive school
community and increased attention. Regarding the
categories with other health disorders (ADHD and
dysgraphia), the viewpoint of teachers is quite
unanimous ‒ they know about these students and
believe that they need above average teachers’
attention. However, while parents are aware of the
presence of children with ADHD, they are almost
unfamiliar with children with reading and writing
disorders. Children with mental disorders, autism
and ADHD have the greatest problems with
integration into inclusive communities. They are
85
Doctor of Psychology, Professor of the Department of Developmental Psychology, Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv,
Ukraine.
86
Doctor of Psychology, Professor of the Department of Social Rehabilitation and Social Pedagogy, Taras Shevchenko National
University, Kyiv, Ukraine.
87
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, Occupational Therapist at Alberta Health Services, Canada, Alberta, Canada.
88
Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Assistant of the Department of Social Rehabilitation and Social Pedagogy, Taras Shevchenko
National University, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Miliutina, K., Chuiko, O., Legka, V., Shkuro, V. / Volume 11 - Issue 53: 204-213 / May, 2022
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ready to be perceived at the maximum social
distance ‒ in a special school, in a boarding school,
except sporadically on the playground. For
employees of the employment service, the
maximum social distance was for people with
mental and psychological disorders. According to
experts’ viewpoints, employers do not want to hire
people with these disorders.
Keywords: Rehabilitation, inclusion, children,
disability, mental disorders, tolerance, social
distance.
Introduction
UNICEF identifies inclusive education as the
most effective way to give all children a fair
chance to go to school, learn and develop the
skills they need. Inclusive education means
learning possibilities for groups who have
traditionally been excluded, like children with
disabilities, or speakers of minority languages.
Inclusive systems can give unique opportunities
for people of all backgrounds to learn together
and allow diverse groups to grow side by side, to
the benefit of all (UNICEF, n.d.).
The process of implementing inclusive education
in Ukraine now covers all components and levels
of the education system, as well as intensified
researchers to find effective ways to attract
people with special needs to the educational and
social space. In recent years, inclusive
communities have been created in Ukraine,
primarily in the educational environment as
provided by the Procedure for the organization of
inclusive education in general secondary
education (Decree, No. 957, 2021), but gradually
this process has been covering enterprises,
recreational institutions, etc. However, the pace
of this process in Ukraine is not as fast as in
developed countries. Participants of the
educational process unknowingly hinder the
adequate implementation of the principles of
inclusive education not only due to lack of funds
for barrier-free equipment, manuals and teaching
methods, but also due to doubts about the
feasibility of implementing inclusion. Attitude
towards adults belonging to other social
minorities or with disabilities is also ambiguous;
it does not always contribute to the creation of a
normal psychological microclimate in work
teams and other communities. Therefore, the
study of tolerance, attitudes of teachers, parents,
employers to people in need of social inclusion
and rehabilitation, as well as psychological
factors that promote or hinder the development
of inclusive communities, is especially relevant
for successful rehabilitation of people with
disabilities in Ukraine.
Literature Review
In recent years, the term “inclusive communities”
has increasingly appeared at the political,
practical and theoretical levels, based on various
disciplinary positions. An inclusive community
values all its members and helps them meet basic
needs and provide them with the possibility to
live with dignity, actively participate in various
activities and contribute to their community.
Inclusive education in secondary school is the
first step for the development of inclusive
communities; this issue has been discussed in
detail in our previous study (Miliutina, 2017).
The implementation of such training is an
essential component of the development of
inclusive communities in Ukraine. The basic
principles, inherent in inclusive education, have
been proposed by G. P. Kaidalova (2015) based
on the analysis of foreign experience, namely:
the value of a person does not depend on his
abilities; everyone can think and experience
certain feelings; everyone has the right to
communicate and to be heard; all people need
each other; real education can only take place in
the context of real relationships; all people need
support and friendship of peers; for all learners,
making progress is what they can do, not what
they can’t do; diversity adorns all aspects of
human life. The peculiarity of inclusive
education lies in its dynamism, forasmuch as
there is a constant adaptation of the learning
conditions to the individual characteristics of
each student. Yu. G. Nosenko and co-authors
(2015) have conducted a thorough study, in
which the features of inclusive education are
proposed, the categories of persons who can
receive support within the framework of
inclusive education are identified, the main types
of psychophysical disorders and the functional
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limitations caused by them are indicated, the
main conditions for the successful
implementation of inclusive education are
highlighted. O. Golubovych (2012) believes in
tolerance and protects the rights of the individual.
Along with this, unfortunately, in practice, the
involvement of children with special educational
needs in the training process of a general
secondary school, according to the viewpoint of
O. Ye. Gordiichuk (2015), causes complications
and even problems affecting the quality of
education. A. A. Verbenets (2016) adheres to the
position that the inclusiveness of education
contributes to the social integration and
rehabilitation of adults with disabilities, and the
root cause of such situations is usually
insufficient development of professional
competence of teachers of inclusive classes.
In English-language publications (Johnson,
1982), (Wiggins, 1988), (Andrews, 2000), active
attention is drawn up to the problems of
tolerance, political correctness and
communication in inclusive communities;
however, insufficient attention is paid to the
psychological factors of the role of tolerance in
social-psychological rehabilitation aspects of
coexistence within inclusive communities. While
analysing publications on inclusive school
communities, it has been revealed that most
publications focus on addressing the issues of
tolerance and inclusion of children. The
qualitative study (Hazel, & Allen, 2013) has
examined how schools create inclusive
communities. From the analysis of open
interviews with members of 3 state elementary
schools in the United States, 3 topics have
emerged, namely:
1) community and culture;
2) structure;
3) responsibility and expectations.
The emphasis on promoting inclusiveness in
communities and a conscious focus on culture
and school affiliation was universal: members of
the school wanted to be in this school; there was
a strong faith in pedagogy, and all members of
the school community clearly understood that
their most important result is the success of
students. Each school had three basic principles
of pedagogy as follows: academic education,
education of the emotional sphere of the
personality and individualization of training.
Each school expected that adults and students
would set and achieve high goals of behaviour
and learning. Recommendations have been
provided for the application of these findings by
practitioners and researchers (van Rhijn et al,
2021). In order to provide information about the
development of an inclusive national childcare
system for all families and children, we
investigate the institutional engagement of
127 Canadian families with children with
disabilities. Our analysis has revealed that
families had been participating in many services
from an early age, however, 79,5 % were
excluded. Using institutional ethnography, we
show that exclusion occurs through the policies
and rules that families face in order to gain
access, maintain enrolment, and combat
professional metatexts. In the scientific work of
Gunn, A. C. (2003), key considerations on
human rights, economics, and inclusion policy
have been represented. Our analysis shows that
families participated in many early childhood
services, but 79,5 % were excluded. From the
point of view of institutional ethnography, we
show that exclusion occurs within the framework
of policies and rules that families should follow
in order to be accepted, to maintain enrolment,
and to deal with professional metatexts. Key
considerations based on economic rights and
inclusion policies are given. Our studies and
policy considerations recognize not only the
importance of inclusion in childcare, but also the
role of childcare in creating inclusive
communities. These families are involved in a
vast amount and variety of services, including
services related to their child’s age. Disability
status may increase access in some cases;
however, this may prevent others from accessing.
Nevertheless, child care workers can have an
impact on the social rehabilitation of children of
early age.
Lundberg, E. (2018) has conducted a study of the
role of a positive school context for tolerance
among Swedish students aged 14 to 20, while
taking into account competing explanations, such
as social networks and personal traits. The results
show that factors at the school level are related
towards tolerance. Herewith, social-economic
factors and social networks tend to play a more
important role. The study is concluded by
drawing attention to the role of schools as
inclusive communities for students of different
ethnic and social groups.
Francis, G., & Nagro, S. (2017) believe that the
education system is the one that almost all
families with a child with a mental disability
should interact with. For some families,
involvement in the rehabilitation system and
inclusive education can begin as early as
childhood. This section provides an overview of
the legal requirements of the Law on Education
for Persons with Disabilities (IDEA). Strategies
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are provided that educators, families, and others
can use in order to effectively communicate and
maximize students’ and family’s outcomes. The
benefits of family-professional partnership are
well documented in the educational literature and
extend to students in need of rehabilitation,
teachers and families. Families and professionals
review the strategies presented in this chapter for
developing or rebuilding relationships so that
stakeholders can work together to prevent or
overcome barriers. Effective communication is
the basis for developing positive relationships
and working partnerships. Professionals, who
maintain a relaxed, friendly nature of
communication, feel more partnership between
families and can raise family expectations
regarding their children.
Watson, K. (2016) has reflected on tolerance
within the “inclusive” early period. Tolerance
and friendliness towards everybody are
narratives that are shared and accepted by
children in an “inclusive” classroom. Tolerance
is perceived positively as a common and useful
course of action when it is implemented, starting
from the primary grades of school.
Cole, E., & Siegel, J. A. (2003) have also studied
inclusiveness in the classroom. However, under
more careful and critical consideration, tolerance
can work in many other ways. Tolerance is
usually perceived as a personal virtue creating a
positive attitude towards the personality of the
other person and, conversely, a position of
intolerance for violations. Although tolerance
has multiple and flexible definitions, however, in
the present academic paper, this term means a
generous act or the ability to tolerate something
or someone. The practice of tolerance combines
kindness and generosity with aversion to
dangerous and aggressive behaviour. In such
conditions, a child in need of social-
psychological rehabilitation can form his identity
and his otherness, as well as his affiliation and
marginality. The school supports the idea of
“inclusive learning communities”, where
normativeness and disability are perceived as
aspects of diversity.
Along with this, the issues of inclusive
communities are not only school problems, social
inclusion should be developed at the level of the
community, neighbours, businesses, etc.
Arthurson, K. (2002) has explored particular
fundamental assumptions related to public
housing strategies with “social cohesion”
strategies in contemporary Australian public
housing regeneration policy. The empirical
analysis is based on six estates, that is, two
estates in New South Wales, South Australia and
Queensland. Two main ideas emerging from
projects in South Australia and Queensland are
as follows: firstly, reducing the concentration of
public housing and developing mixed-income
communities offers a way to reconnect socially
disadvantaged tenants with mainstream society;
secondly, a balanced social cohesion is a
prerequisite for the development of “inclusive”,
“sustainable” and “cohesive” communities.
Becker, P. E. (1998) considers the problem of
inclusiveness in religious communities; the
author believes it is an indispensable part of the
modern world.
An interpretive study of Trussell, D. E. (2020)
examines the complexity of lesbian parents’
experiences in organized youth sports programs.
In particular, he seeks to understand youth sports
as a potential place for social change, which
contributes to a sense of an inclusive community
for various family structures. Using thematic
analysis, the author examines the viewpoints of
nine participants from Australia, Canada and the
United States. The emphasis is placed on the fact
how lesbian parents influence on the common
understanding of inclusive sports culture. The
results draw particular attention to the
significance of intentional and unintentional
actions (by families, as well as sports
organizations) creating a sense of community
and inclusive organizational culture. The
interaction of the experience of lesbian parents
with broader concepts such as sexual stigma and
transformational services is also explored in the
context of youth sports.
Munford, R., Sanders, J., & Maden, B. (2010)
draw attention to the fact that in the development
of inclusive communities, the interests of persons
with social-economic disadvantages should also
be taken into account. It has been specified how
support services can work more effectively
towards developing family and community
capacity for children and families living in
socially and economically disadvantaged
environments. In addition, the article explores
new approaches meeting the needs of families,
even as they build caring/accepting (careful) and
inclusive communities. The issue is discussed in
the context of a public agency that uses sensitized
practices to change the lives of socially and
economically disadvantaged families.
Grassi, R. (2018) provides specific advanced
practices to librarians for young adults and
adolescents in order to develop positive,
effective, and tolerant relationships with young
adults with disabilities in the library. Using the
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author’s professional library experience and
citing other published works, this scientific work
represents customer service strategies for
librarians and library employees. These
strategies are as follows: talk directly to the
teenager; consider communication and language;
develop mutual understanding; respect their
privacy. Along with this, this article offers
different methods of working with parents and
caregivers, forasmuch as the development of
positive relationships with parents is an integral
part of the development of positive relationships
with adolescents.
Based on a review of previous investigations, it
can be assumed that in order to create effective
working inclusive communities, people should
possess a high level of tolerance towards certain
population groups, tolerance towards thoughts
and attitudes, as well as tolerance towards
uncertainty. In order to conduct a detailed
research of tolerance in the context of inclusive
communities, it is necessary to identify factors
contributing to or hindering the acceptance of
people who differ from others.
The purpose of the research lies in studying the
attitude of teachers, parents, employers towards
people from different social groups in need of
social inclusion and rehabilitation.
The Research Methodology
To study the attitude to people in need of socio-
psychological and social-labor rehabilitation
during 2020-2021, a survey was conducted
among 120 people, namely: 40 primary school
teachers from different regions of Ukraine; 40
parents of children from different regions of
Ukraine attending primary school; 40 employees
of the State Employment Service of Ukraine,
whose responsibilities include promoting the
employment of persons with disabilities and
other people in need of social and labour
rehabilitation. The survey was conducted
voluntarily, anonymously and consisted of 2
stages.
At the first stage, the respondents have
mentioned who, in their opinion, requires
rehabilitation, and they have assessed this need
from 1 to 7 points, the respondents could mention
several categories. In the groups of teachers and
parents, the survey has concerned children. In the
group of employment service workers, the survey
has concerned adults.
At the second stage of the research, a
modification of the Bogardus social distance
research methodology was proposed. Based on
the interviews with the respondents, a specific
scale of social distance was created, measuring
the distance with children and adults in an
inclusive community. Regarding children, the
following scale has been created:
“I agree that a child from this social group
1. Will make friends with my child, and they will
go to each other’s house. 1 p.
2. Will sit at the same desk with my child. 2 p.
3. Will study with my child in the same class. 3 p.
4. Will study with my child in the same circle,
section. 4 p.
5. Will sometimes play on our playground. 5 p.
6. Will study at a special school. 6 p.
7. Will study and stay in a special boarding
school. 7 p.
Choose one of these statements that best reflects
your attitude toward this social group”.
The scale for adults was aimed at assessing social
distance in working relationships.
“I agree that a person from this social group
1. Will be my boss. 1 p.
2. Will be my subordinate. 2 p.
3. Will work with me in one department
(subdivision). 3 p.
4. Will work in the same organization with me.
4 p.
5. Will work in the same organization with me,
but remotely. 5 p.
6. Will be my client, customer, and provide
services to me. 6 p.
7. Will no working relationship with me. 7 p.
Choose one of these statements that best reflects
your attitude toward this social group”.
The survey revealed the attitudes of teachers,
parents, employers towards people from different
social groups in need of social inclusion and
rehabilitation, as the success of inclusion
depends on their attitudes and mediation.
Results
The results of the first phase of the survey among
teachers and parents on who they think need
rehabilitation are shown in Table 1.
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Table 1.
Categories of children in need of rehabilitation and inclusion.
Categories of children
The number
of teachers
who
mentioned
them
The
number of
parents who
mentioned
them
The need for
rehabilitation
(points) from
the position of
teachers
The need for
rehabilitation
(points) from
the position of
parents
Children
with
disabilities
With movement
disorders
40
39
6,3
6,9
With visual
impairments
34
27
5,8
6,3
With hearing
impairment
35
33
6,7
5,2
With mental
disability
40
32
5,1
6,9
With autism
spectrum disorders
32
40
6,8
6,8
Children with ADHD
37
40
5,4
3,2
Children with dysgraphia
35
15
6,3
2,9
Children from disadvantaged
families
23
38
2,6
5,6
Children from low-income
families
19
37
1,3
4,8
Source: Created by the authors
There were single mentions of other categories of
children: children with diabetes, migrants,
internally displaced persons, adopted children.
However, due to the fact that most of the
respondents did not mention them, they were not
taken into account in the further research. As it
can be seen from Table 1, both parents and
teachers believe that children with disabilities
need rehabilitation, involvement in an inclusive
school community and increased attention.
Regarding the categories with other health
disorders (ADHD and dysgraphia), the position
of teachers is quite unanimous ‒ they know about
these students and believe that they need above
average teachers’ attention. On the one hand,
parents are aware of the presence of children with
ADHD, however, on the other hand, they are
almost unfamiliar with children with reading and
writing disorders. Parents do not think that these
children need special attention. Children from
disadvantaged and low-income families attract
the attention of parents (because parent
committees help them), but not teachers.
When interviewing employees of the State
Employment Service of Ukraine, the following
results have been obtained, reflected in Table 2.
Table 2.
Categories of adults in need of rehabilitation and inclusion.
Categories of adults
The number of
employees who
mentioned them
The need for
rehabilitation
(points)
Persons
with
disabilities
With movement disorders
40
6,8
With visual impairments
40
6,9
With hearing impairment
40
6,9
With mental disability
32
4,7
With other disorders (cardio, diabetes, etc.)
35
3,6
Persons with mental disorders
22
4,7
Persons released from places of imprisonment
38
4,1
Participants in hostilities
40
3,8
Forced migrants
25
3,7
Source: Created by the authors
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The employees of the State Employment Service
of Ukraine clearly identify people with
disabilities and believe that they need special
assistance in order to integrate into the working
community. Workers have explained the lower
indicators of the need for intervention in relation
to persons with mental disabilities by the fact that
they do not believe in the effectiveness of their
own efforts. According to experts’ viewpoints,
employers do not want to hire people with these
disorders. The Employment Service of Ukraine
has special programs to help the military,
migrants and people who have returned from
places of imprisonment. However, employees
believe that, unlike people with disabilities,
representatives of these categories need much
less help and can find a job on their own.
The results of the second stage of the research
with the modification of the Bogardus social
distance scale between parents and teachers are
reflected in Table 3.
Table 3.
Social distance for children in need of social rehabilitation.
Categories of children
Social distance
according to teachers’
viewpoints
Social distance
according to parents’
viewpoints
Children
with
disabilities
With movement disorders
2,8+\‒0,71
1,3+\‒0,50
With visual impairments
1,7+\‒0,83
1,9+\‒1,12
With hearing impairment
3,9+\‒0,75
2,6+\‒0,85
With mental disability
5,8+\‒0,55
6,8+\‒0,98
With autism spectrum disorders
6,1+\‒1,17
4,6+\‒0,62
Children with ADHD
4,9+\‒0,26
5,9+\‒1,78
Children with dysgraphia
2,6+\‒0,54
1,8+\‒0,13
Children from disadvantaged families
5,1+\‒0,72
6,2+\‒0,66
Children from low-income families
5,4+\‒0,97
4,6+\‒0,91
Source: Created by the authors
There is a relatively small social distance for
children with disabilities caused by disorders of
the musculoskeletal system, hearing and vision.
The most tolerant and friendly attitude is towards
children with visual impairments; most parents
and teachers would not object to friendly and
close relationships while studying with these
children. The distance with children with motor
impairments is somewhat longer and different;
teachers have a positive attitude towards these
children in the classroom, and parents do not
object to friendly relations. As for children with
hearing impairments, the situation is somewhat
worse: parents and teachers are willing to treat
them tolerantly within school and nonformalized
education, but not in friendly relations. During
the conversation, the respondents have explained
their position by the fact that in order to
communicate with people with hearing
impairments, children should make efforts:
master lip-reading, study dactyl. The category of
children with dysgraphia also causes a fairly
tolerant attitude on the part of adults.
The greatest problems with integration into
inclusive communities have been revealed
regarding children with mental disabilities,
autism and ADHD. They are ready to be
perceived at the maximum social distance ‒ in a
special school, in a boarding school, except
sporadically on the playground Adults, who have
not had experience of communicating with these
categories of children in their own childhood,
feel anxious about their “unpredictable”
behaviour, possible aggression.
Children from disadvantaged and low-income
families are also perceived as “undesirable” for
secondary school, forasmuch as teachers expect
them to misbehave, and parents expect them to
be a “bad influence” on their own children.
The social distance regarding adults in the work
environment also depends on their physical and
mental condition, as shown in Table 4.
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Table 4.
Social distance regarding adults in need of social rehabilitation
Categories of adults
The number of employees who
mentioned them
Persons
with
disabilities
With movement disorders
4,3+\‒1,82
With visual impairments
2,7+\‒0,56
With hearing impairment
3,4+\‒1,15
With mental disability
5,9+\‒0,34
With other disorders (cardio, diabetes, etc.)
1,6+\‒0,37
Persons with mental disorders
6,4+\‒1,27
Persons released from places of imprisonment
6,6+\‒0,93
Participants in hostilities
5,3+\‒1,28
Forced migrants
3,3+\‒0,97
Source: Created by the authors
As it can be seen from Table 4, the biggest
problems with integration do not arise from the
fact of a disability, but from behavioural
disorders. Therefore, persons released from
places of imprisonment, persons with mental
disabilities are perceived as the most unfit to stay
in working communities.
Discussion
Bogardus technique, which has been modified by
us, attracts the attention of modern scholars and
raises particular objections. For instance,
O. A. Gorbachyk (2005) draws attention to the
fact that for current residents of Ukraine, the
scale of social distance differs from that proposed
by Bogardus. Rostova, A. V., & Zhelnina, E. V.
(2017) have successfully modified this scale in
order to study the attitude towards innovations.
Albrecht, G. L., Walker, V. G., & Levy, J. A.
(1982), conducting their investigation 40 years
ago, tested the relative benefits of theories in
explaining conscious social distance to people
with disabilities and people with deviant
behaviour in the professional environment.
Perceived social distance was measured using a
modified Bogardus scale. Respondents
expressed greater social distancing towards
people with deviant behaviours, such as people
with alcohol and drug addiction, than towards
people with disabilities, such as those with motor
and visual impairments. Ruzhenkov, V. A.,
Ruzhenkova, V. V., & Churnosova, O. I. (2017)
also carried out a modification of this technique
and revealed, as in our research, an intolerant
attitude towards persons with mental disabilities.
Students of medical specialities allow persons
with suicidal behaviour and marginal mental
disorders to a distance farther than “neighbours
down the street”, and people with psychiatric
disorders (psychosis) ‒ even more remotely than
“residents of their city”. Abidin, S. A., &
Irwanto, I. (2021) examined the attitudes of
students from related academic directions, such
as medicine, psychology, and counselling
towards people with schizophrenia according to
the Bogardus social distance scale. The study
was conducted among 230 students. The results
show that students of the healthcare sphere have
serious stigma problems. Most students do not
want to include a person with schizophrenia as a
member of their family or caregiver. Students
who have previously been in contact with them
tend to less stigmatization level. However,
students who have family members with
schizophrenia have higher stigmatization level.
Ouellette‐Kuntz, H., Burge, P., Brown, H. K., &
Arsenault, E. (2010) studied a large sample of
625 community members; they used a subscale
of social distance attitude towards people with
intellectual disabilities. Older and less educated
participants had positions reflecting greater
social distance. Participants, who had a close
family member with intellectual disabilities, and
those, who considered the average disability to
be “mild”, showed less social distance. The
limited variability of scores forces the authors to
question our general conclusion about a very
favourable attitude to social interaction with
people with intellectual disabilities.
The current state of the problem is reflected in the
scientific work of Firat, T., & Koyuncu, I.
(2021). 1293 students in Turkey were studied.
The results showed that the participants indicated
the greatest social distance towards people with
intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum
disorders, and the smallest ‒ towards gifted
people (people with genius). It has been revealed
that most university students do not prefer to
“marry”, “become a close relative through
marriage” and “become a colleague (employee)”
with people with disabilities. The results have
also shown that students’ knowledge of groups
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with students with disabilities and the frequency
of their contact with persons with disabilities are
significant factors influencing their social
distance. Thus, the results of our research
coincide with those obtained in other scientific
investigations on studying tolerance issues and
social distance.
Conclusions
As a result of our research, it has been established
that people in need of social-psychological
rehabilitation include not only people with
disabilities, but also children and adults with
behavioural and social disorders. For both
children and adults with visual and motor
impairments, the smallest social distance was
observed. The longest distance was observed for
people with mental and psychological disorders,
as well as deviant behaviour. It did not depend on
the disability group. An obstacle to social
inclusion is prejudice against these individuals,
which (according to the literature findings) has
been lasting at least for 40 years.
Directions for further research. A promising
direction lies in studying the influence of the
communication experience with persons with
physical and mental disabilities on the level of
tolerance and social distance.
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